South Africa: SA Sports Minister slams FIFA over bribery allegations

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, on Thursday called on FIFA to retract its statement that South Africa was involved in bribery to host the 2010 World Cup.

This follows global football’s governing body's announcement on Wednesday that US$10 million had been paid to secure South Africa’s rights to host the tournament.

Addressing a media briefing in Cape Town, Mbalula said the investigation riddled with contradictions and has inflicted major harm to South Africa’s reputation. “South Africa refuses to drown itself in the blame-victim mentality game. The FBI indictment and FIFA-orchestrated investigations are littered with explosive contradictions,” he said.

Court submissions, cited by PANA, indicated that FIFA has claimed that former executive committee member Jack Warner, who is fighting extradition to the United States, helped engineer a US$10 million bribe “in exchange for executive committee votes regarding where the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be hosted”.

Warner allegedly disguised the payment "as support for the benefit of the African Diaspora in the Caribbean region." The funds were allegedly channelled through the financial accounts of FIFA, member associations, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee.
-0- PANA CU/VAO 17March2016